The cast has been announced for Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13¾ – The Musical which will open at the Ambassadors Theatre for a limited season from 15 June until 12 October 2019, with a gala night on 2 July 2019. The musical has book and lyrics by Jake Brunger, music and lyrics by Pippa Cleary and direction by Luke Sheppard.
The adult cast includes Rosemary Ashe (The Witches of Eastwick, Carlotta in the original cast of The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Sister Act UK tour, Committee at Donmar Warehouse) as Grandma, Lara Denning (Matilda, West End, Ruthless The Musical at Arts Theatre, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Theatre Royal Drury Lane) as Miss Elf/Doreen Slater, John Hopkins (Poldark, BBC, Endeavour, ITV, Midsomer Murders, ITV, The Boys in the Band at Park Theatre/ Vaudeville, Much Ado About Nothing at Rose Theatre Kingston) as Mr Lucas/Mr Scruton, Andrew Langtree (Groundhog Day at The Old Vic, Troilus & Cressida for the RSC, Imperium for the RSC, Gielgud Theatre, Emmerdale from 2010 – 2012) as George, Amy Ellen Richardson (Sweet Charity at Donmar Warehouse, Kiss Me Kate at Sheffield Crucible, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical UK tour, Merrily We Roll Along, Menier Chocolate Factory/Harold Pinter, Les Misérables, Queens Theatre) as Pauline, and Ian Talbot (artistic and managing director of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until 2008, Hairspray at Shaftesbury Theatre, King Lear, The Taming Of The Shrew and The Tempest, all for the RSC, Alphabetical Order at Bath Theatre Royal/UK tour).
Also in the cast are Holly Ashton (1st cover Donna in Mamma Mia!, international tour, A Little Night Music, Frinton Summer Theatre) and Mathew Craig (Blood Brothers, UK tour, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 ¾, Menier Chocolate Factory, We Will Rock You, UK tour and Dominion Theatre). The children’s cast is to be announced.
Set in 1980s Leicester, this adaptation of Sue Townsend’s best-selling book (previously seen at Leicester’s Curve theatre in 2015 and the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2017) is a timeless tale of teenage angst, family struggles and unrequited love, told through the eyes of tortured poet and misunderstood intellectual Adrian Mole. One of the most enduring comedy characters of all time, he is the hapless, hilarious, spotty teenager who captured the zeitgeist of 1980s Britain, and this critically acclaimed production brings Adrian’s story to life for a new generation of theatregoers.
The production has choreography by Rebecca Howell, set and costume design by Tom Rogers, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design by Gregory Clarke, musical direction by Mark Collins, musical supervision and orchestrations by Paul Herbert, children’s casting by Jo Hawes CDG and additional casting by Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG.
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ was Townsend’s first novel and was originally published in 1982 by Methuen, but is now published by Penguin Books. It has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, been translated into 30 languages, and spawned seven sequel Adrian Mole novels. The novels have previously been adapted for the stage, radio and television.
